Diabetes Information Research
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Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

What is type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. People with diabetes have problems converting food to energy. After a meal, food is broken down into a sugar called glucose, which is carried by the blood to cells throughout the body. Cells use the hormone insulin, made in the pancreas, to help them process blood glucose into energy.

People develop type 2 diabetes because the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly. Eventually, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin for the body's needs. As a result, the amount of glucose in the blood increases while the cells are starved of energy. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and amputation.

How can type 2 diabetes be prevented?

Although people with diabetes can prevent or delay complications by keeping blood glucose levels close to normal, preventing or delaying the development of type 2 diabetes in the first place is even better. The results of a major federally funded study, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), show how to do so.

This study of 3,234 people at high risk for diabetes showed that moderate diet and exercise resulting in a 5- to 7-percent weight loss can delay and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes.

Study participants were overweight and had higher than normal levels of blood glucose, a condition called pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance). Both pre-diabetes and obesity are strong risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Because of the high risk among some minority groups, about half of the DPP participants were African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino.

The DPP tested two approaches to preventing diabetes: a healthy eating and exercise program (lifestyle changes), and the diabetes drug metformin. People in the lifestyle modification group exercised about 30 minutes a day 5 days a week (usually by walking) and lowered their intake of fat and calories. Those who took the diabetes drug metformin received standard information on exercise and diet. A third group received only standard information on exercise and diet.

The results showed that people in the lifestyle modification group reduced their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. Average weight loss in the first year of the study was 15 pounds. Lifestyle modification was even more effective in those 60 and older. They reduced their risk by 71 percent. People receiving metformin reduced their risk by 31 percent.

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Diabetes News

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Visit Your GP Before Diabetes Visits You, Australian Medical Association
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Undiagnosed Diabetes Puts Half A Million Lives At Risk
Leading health charity Diabetes UK today warns that more than half a million people in the UK may face a future of ill health because they have Type 2 diabetes but don't know it. Diabetes is a serious condition which can lead to heart disease, blindness, amputation, kidney failure and shorter life expectancy.
Ontario Will Pay For Insulin Pumps For Adult Diabetes Type 1 Patients
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American Diabetes Association Applauds U.S. Congress For Extending Special Diabetes Programs
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) applauds the U.S. Congress for voting in favor of extending the Special Diabetes Programs (SDP) for two more years. Today, the U.S. Senate voted in support of a Medicare package that included a two-year extension of the Special Diabetes Programs. The measure recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives as well.
Live Healthy To Beat Diabetes National Diabetes Week: 13 - 19 July Australia
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is urging Australians to adopt a healthier lifestyle against the backdrop of National Diabetes Week. The awareness raising event runs from 13 - 19 July. "General practitioners are often the first point of contact in the health system for people with Type 2 diabetes.